Environmental topics
Transporting more people and goods by rail is an important lever for achieving German and European climate protection goals. After all, rail is already one of the most climate-friendly modes of transport today. The DB Group intends to further build on this competitive advantage. To this end, the DB Group is implementing a wide range of measures, with a focus on climate protection and climate resilience.
As an operator of critical infrastructure and a large-scale organization, DB Group is particularly affected by the current and future impacts of climate change. We are therefore preparing for a higher baseline stress and increasing extreme weather events and are continuing to further develop our climate resilience management both strategically and operationally.
DB Group aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain to net zero by 2040. The implementation plan for this has been validated by the renowned and independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In its decarbonization strategy, DB Group adheres to the SBTi's science-based net-zero standard, thereby following a 1.5-degree path.
DB Group is steering its decarbonisation efforts through business-unit-specific reduction pathways based on absolute greenhouse gas emissions. Four specific levers have been defined on its path to net-zero emissions in accordance with the SBTi:
- Increasing the share of renewable energies,
- Phasing out diesel and electrifying tracks
- Energy efficiency
- Emission-reduced building materials
DB Group intends to increasingly invest in the modernization of its rail infrastructure in the coming years. As a result of the very extensive construction work, there is therefore a very high demand for resources – such as concrete ties, track ballast and rail steel. This impact is also associated with greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain, which we address as part of our net zero target. One measure in this regard is the use of emission-reduced building materials.
After operational safety, protecting the environment and nature is a top priority for us – from planning and construction to the operation and maintenance of infrastructure. Among other things, we are working to improve the compatibility between railway operational requirements and nature conservation.
To counteract the loss of biodiversity, DB Group acts according to the principle of the mitigation hierarchy. Firstly, negative impacts on nature must be avoided as far as possible. Where interventions are unavoidable due to operation and operational safety, measures are taken to minimize these impacts. Any remaining adverse effects are offset by appropriate compensatory measures – such as the creation of compensation and replacement areas recognised under nature conservation law.
The transport of goods and passengers by rail causes noise emissions. To reduce noise and thereby increase public acceptance of rail transport, DB Group is working alongside the federal government to alleviate the impact on affected residents.